Analysis of media in Albania and mapping of main trends through credible, regular, and complete data is a problematic endeavour. However, the data available show that it is safe to say that challenges for professional journalism remain formidable in Albania.
Full formality of the media market has not been achieved, especially regarding online media, and to some degree print media. In addition, problems related to labour relations of media employees are still visible. Along with the interdependence of media owners from political and business interests, this certainly conditions the freedom of journalists to be independent and not to censor themselves accordingly.
Increasingly fewer students are choosing journalism and communication degrees, even though the number of online media seems to be increasing, at least where the online media are concerned.
The concentration of major media groups owning several types of media outlets and the blurring of boundaries between new and traditional media in their staff and content production does not make it easy to see a visible trend in terms of journalists’ statistics. However, it is clear that there is considerable market pressure to follow similar trends in reporting and format in the main media outlets, including prioritizing speed of publication and sensationalism over professional standards and ethics. Efforts to self-regulate exist, but it is too early to see an impact in this respect.
More specifically, the main conclusions derived from the data collected in the framework of this report consist in the following:
Fewer students are choosing to study journalism, and the number of journalists in the country, while the data are not certain, appears to show a downward trend.
Internal and external pressure against journalists persist, including regarding labour relations.
Efforts to organize within the community are mostly crisis-driven and they are usually mostly fragmented, and internal organization of journalists within media outlets is still missing.
Lack of transparency and the tendency for anonymity in online media is pervasive, leading to ethical problems and dubious professional practices, even thou h the traditional media are also far from immune from these problems.
The traditional media market seems to be highly concentrated in terms of ownership, market revenue, and audience share, thus affecting the plurality of information.
In the absence of cross-ownership regulation and a total absence of rules on ownership for online and print media, concentration across types of media markets is also clearly visible.
Television still receives the highest share of the market and is considered the most used and trusted source of information by the audience, but social networks have gained ground as sources of information, especially among the youth.
The media is neither the most nor the least trusted body or institution in the country, but the overall level of media literacy among the population seems low, as is their knowledge to use existing complaint mechanisms.
Media legislation certainly needs improvement, though its most problematic
aspect remains the weakness in implementation.
The problems with other institutions regarding orruption, public information, fair elections, and rule of law in general certainly
